


Logged On

by Tornadic



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wolverine and the X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men, X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men: First Class (Comics), X-Men: The Animated Series
Genre: F/M, I wanted a break from my more serious writing so I wrote this, M/M, this is just some fluffy cherik for your fluffy cherik needs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-05-12
Packaged: 2018-10-01 10:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10188050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tornadic/pseuds/Tornadic
Summary: When Charles was forced to expand his view of the world by emailing back and forth with someone from Germany, he never thought he'd meet the attractive Erik Lehnsherr.





	1. Chapter 1

“Internationalism,” Mr. Howlett spoke sternly, his tone suggesting little desire to be talking. “Is one of the most important features of today’s world.”

Some of the students shifted in they seats, aching to leave the classroom. Some of them were staring out the window, letting themselves get lost in the changing colours of the leaves and the drops that fell lightly onto the ground. Typical English weather; rainy and dull without a trace of sunlight. A lot of people would look outside, let a sigh slide past their lips and complain internally about the gloomy nature of the country.

Charles, however, never did. In fact, he never really looked outside. His eyes were always fixated on the teacher, or buried within the pages of a book. He always found himself in front of the class, desperately trying to copy each word the teachers spoke, fully engaged in the learning that was taking place. He hardly ever paid attention to anything else.

Mr. Howlett cleared his throat, scolding the children in the back who were ‘secretly’ passing crumpled notes. “Children like you, however, see very little of the outside world. So,” He leaned against the desk, tipping his head backwards. “In order to improve your internationalism, we’ve arranged with a German school to assign each of you a pen pal.”

People’s attention begun to divert to the teacher, who took great pleasure in seeing their disturbed faces. “That’s right,” He smiled. “Now I’d like each of you to come up here and pull a piece of paper,” He reached behind him and grabbed a box from his desk. In it were little sheets of paper, each with something written on it.

“Xavier?” Mr. Howlett looked expectantly at Charles, who slowly rose from his seat. Looking through the box, he pulled out a slip of paper. He unfolded it with care, revealing the name Erik Lehnsherr and the email address E.L.FrankfurtInternational@gmail.com. He looked at the name. Lehnsherr.

Had a nice ring to it.

Everyone else pulled their slip of paper, and got out their laptops. Charles opened his MacBook Air — a gift from his parents as a way of getting him to leave them alone—, and logged on to his school email address. He opened a new mail, typed the address into the “receiver” box. Finding himself unable to write anything, he glared with confusion at the white screen.

What the hell was he supposed write?

Luckily, a kid at the back of the class, Alex Summers if Charles remembered correctly, wondered exactly the same thing. “Uh, Mr. Howlett what am I meant to say? ‘Hey there, I’m your forced British-American bestie, what’s your favorite movie?’”

Mr. Howlett scolded the boy in the way only he could. If Charles hadn’t known him better, he’d be absolutely terrified. “Maybe go for something like ‘hi, my name is dickface and i’m writing to you because my teacher threatened to punch me,” The class snickered.

“You haven’t threatened to punch me though,” Alex remarked smartly, before following his comment up with an epiphanic “oh.”

“In all seriousness,” the teacher continued, “Write a few lines introducing yourself, and ask a question about your new friend something about themselves,”

Okay…

Charles looked down at his keyboard. ‘Hello!’ He typed.

No, that sounded dumb.

_Hi, there!_

Even dumber.

_Hi!_

Charles figured it was better than nothing.

_Hi! My name is Charles Xavier, and I’m_

What was he? His friend? ‘Forced bestie’ as Alex had put it?

_Hi! My name is Charles Xavier. I’m a part of the Pen Pal Program that our schools have arranged. I know this is slightly awkward, but I’m supposed to tell you facts about myself, and since I can think of no better way to do it I’ll just go right ahead; I’m sixteen (almost seventeen); my favorite subject is biology, though I’ve found my interest for English has increased vastly within the last couple of years; in my free time, I read a lot — my favorite book is The Once and Future King; my favourite documentary is After the Genome; and I also enjoy the occasional game of chess. Lastly, though I know this may be a bit ambitious, I want to study at Oxford University after high school._   
_I can’t wait to get to know you better—_

No, that sounded odd.

_What about you?_

Better.

_Sincerely, Charles_

He read through the mail a couple of times, perhaps even a few more than he’d like to admit, before pressing send. Whoever this Erik Lehnsherr was, he was going to find Charles the most dorky, strange person he’d ever heard of.

***

Erik smiled at his computer. Whoever this Charles Xavier was, he was the most dorky, adorable person he’d ever received a mail from. Whether it was his strange use of vocabulary or the awkward tone of his message, Erik found it absolutely endearing.

“Who did you get?” Emma leaned over her table and tapped lightly on Erik’s shoulder. “Mine’s someone called Ororo M. Seems sweet. I found her on Instagram as well, she’s gorgeous.” She paused, pursing her lips as she read the mail on his screen. “Oh my god, that’s so cute. What a lil' sugar cube.”

“His name’s Charles.”

“I can tell,” Emma smiled. “Y’know, maybe he’s on social media too. Let’s see, shall we?”

The teacher had temporarily left the classroom, meaning the students were left to their own devices. This made it incredibly easy for Emma to take her phone out from her pocket and press a long-nailed finger to the Instagram app. She searched his name, but the machine showed no direct results. “Huh,” She mumbled, “Looks like he really is a nerd… Wait, here’s something,” She went to the profile of a ‘Raven Xavier.’

While Erik liked to pretend he was above social media stalking, he found himself immensely interested in seeing the face of his… friend? Could you even call it that at this point? He had no doubt him and Charles would get along. In fact, as soon as he read the line about his interest in T. H. White’s classic novel, he knew this Charles was a man of his own taste.

“I think this is his sister...” Emma scrolled through the profile, nodding her head approvingly at the attractive blonde girl who appeared the most of the pictures. In one of them, she was sitting on a bench beside a really nervous-looking boy, who was staring at her as if she were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. The caption read “lunch with Hank! @McccCoy.”

In another one — one that drew much more of Emma’s attention — the light-haired girl was smiling at the camera, her arm around a boy who seemed about her age. Though his clothing was rather questionable, his facial features were enough to draw the attention from his poor taste. “I think this is him…” Emma stated, her hypothesis confirmed by the caption below the photo: “went to see #startrek with Charles!”

Erik, who no longer tried to hide his curiosity, tipped his chair back to see Emma’s screen.

 _Blue_. That was the first thing he could think.

The second was _wow_.

It wasn’t so much that he was hot. In fact, his dark cardigan and professor-pants proved rather unattractive. He was just so immensely… Cute. His eyes were defined by a vibrant light-blue, and his smile was so genuine, Erik almost felt the urge smile with him.

“Oooh, Erik’s got a crush,” Emma teased, recognizing the look on her friend’s face as that of very strong attraction. However, upon seeing him blush, she backed off and diverted her attention to the shy boy in the back of the class. “How about you, Kurt? Who’s your guy?"

Kurt Wagner looked up from his laptop. Out of all the students in the international school, he was one of the four authentic Germans. Though the school was located in the middle of Frankfurt, students from all around Europe (and even some from Africa and Asia) attended. “I’m, uh, his name’s Hank M-McCoy,” he stuttered.

“Hey, we just saw a Hank! Here, have a look,” Emma exclaimed, scrolling back up to the picture Raven had posted of her and the nervous boy. Kurt nodded, unsure of how else to respond.

Meanwhile, Erik tried his hardest to think of a good response. Charles had seemed very eloquent, though his structure had been somewhat awkward. Erik was less good with words.

_Hi, Charles!_

Was it too odd to use his name?

_As you probably figured, I’m Erik Lehnsherr. I’m seventeen. While I’m not the biggest fan of biology, I’m quite fond of physics (specifically magnetism and electro-magnetic engines and etc.). I spend the majority of my free time with my friends, though I do dedicate some of it to reading—_

“Erik!” Emma’s voice cut through his thoughts. “You gotta give him your number, or at least your Instagram. You may think he’s attractive, but trust me he’ll return the feeling if he sees your face.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not allowed,” Erik told her, to which she frowned.

“Have I taught you nothing, Lehnsherr? It doesn’t matter if it’s not allowed. Once you send that mail, he’ll have your contact info and no one will be able to take it from him. The worst-case scenario is Mr. Shaw getting slightly mad at you. You’re used to that anyway,” She persuaded. Erik had to admit it was tempting but…

“I’m gonna let the relationship evolve a bit first, alright?” He told her, earning yet another disappointed glare.

She sat still for a short second, pondering her next sentence. “Can you at least flirt a bit with him?” She asked.

Erik just shook his head and got back to writing.

The words came easily, and when he finished Emma nodded approvingly and gave him that irritating smile she always put on when she was teasing him.


	2. Chapter 2

“This girl called ‘frost-em’ just followed me on Instagram,” Ororo furrowed her eyebrows. Even in confusion, her dark skin and clear eyes resembled the features of a goddess. 

Raven nodded. “She followed me too.” 

The mall was loud and crowded, and all that really went through Charles’s head was how desperately he wanted to return home and complete those extra biology questions Ms. Gray had given him, and maybe even finish the book he started that very morning. It wasn’t that he didn’t like his friends, in fact he adored them, but the scenes of their hangout spots were always stressful and congested.

“She’s pretty,” Raven stated, scrolling through her profile. “Oooh, look at this guy!” She exclaimed, turning her phone around. On the screen was picture of a very, very attractive person. He was smiling like it was the last chance he ever got; exposing all his teeth in a grin that reached his eyes — the color of which Charles couldn’t quite make out.

Raven smirked upon noticing her brother’s wide eyes and raised eyebrows. Charles knew he was staring, just like he knew it was beginning to get weird, but how could he not? He was practically looking at the more evolved child of a greek god.

“You alright there, Xavier?” Alex laughed, lightly punching Charles’s shoulder. 

He looked up from Raven’s phone, and his face broke into an embarrassed smile while his cheeks flushed with light pink. “Uh…” He was at a loss for words, a very rare occurrence in his case.  

“His name’s Erik Lehnsherr, according to his profile,” Raven informed them.

Something resonated within Charles’s mind. Lehnsherr. 

 _Oh_. 

“He’s the guy I had to talk to for that pen pal thing,” He realized, suddenly very intrigued by his new ‘forced bestie.’

“Wait, really?” Raven’s smiled grew bigger, and evolved into a full-blown grin. “You should hop on that,” She joked, inspiring light chuckles and a few ‘eww’s from the group. 

The remainder of the afternoon was spent in the mall, much to Charles’s dismay. They did, however, end up returning to the Xavier mansion where they decided to watch a film. Though the others seemed highly engaged in the cheesy romance, Charles found his mind drifting far away from his surroundings, while constantly making an excuse to leave the room so he could check his email.

It was only when the others had gone, and him and Raven were left to clean up the remaining popcorn and half-full cans of soda, Charles felt his phone buzz. Raven didn’t need to ask to know why he rushed out of the room and directly to his computer. He read the mail slowly, afraid to miss anything.

_Hi, Charles!_

_As you probably figured, I’m Erik Lehnsherr. I’m seventeen. While I’m not the biggest fan of biology, I am quite fond of physics (specifically magnetism and electro-magnetic engines and etc.). I spend the majority of my free time with my friends, though I do dedicate some of it to reading. In fact, The Once and Future King is among my favorite novels as well!_

_I’d love to play chess with you sometime, I promise I’d go easy on you ;)_

_Erik_

The first thing that went through Charles mind was how badly he did  _not_  want Erik to ‘go easy on him’. The second thing was complete and utter disappointment in himself.

He read through it a couple of times, paying particular attention to the last part, while contemplating a response. 

“Was it him?” Charles jumped at the sound of his sister’s voice. “Erik, I mean.”

He nodded. “Yeah, uh, he seems decent.”  _That_ was an understatement. 

“Let me read it,” She demanded. Charles knew by now that refusing her what she wanted was utterly useless, so he moved aside. 

Raven’s eyes scanned the screen. By the time she finished, she was smiling in that annoying way she always did when she knew exactly how Charles felt. “You do know that was flirting, right?” She asked, perfectly aware of what his answer was going to be.

“I hardly think so,” He looked from his sister to the screen. “It’s entirely possible that he’s just friendly. In fact, it’s more possible than the absolutely absurd idea that he’d be  _flirting_  with me after such a short time.”

Raven sighed. “Okay, here’s my theory,” she started, earning an eye roll from Charles, who was exasperatingly familiar with her theories. “He obviously knows this Frost girl, right?  _I think_ she found me on Instagram, and showed Erik that picture from the time we went to see Star Trek. Chances are he’s seen your face. And you know how guys get when they see your face,” She sounded victorious; she knew she was right.

Charles had to admit it was a good theory. He’d fallen victim to a lot of gratuitous flirting — from both guys and girls — because of his appearance. Though he had trouble seeing what it was about him people found so attractive, it seemed the rest of the world were perfectly aware of it.

Raven smiled as she walked back towards the door. “You should flirt back,” her tone was playful and cheery. Charles wasn’t the outgoing type, and the friends he had were only his friends because of Raven. Not that he was anti-social, he just didn’t have the time. And yet, this random stranger had come into his life and sparked some sort of emotion, and for that, Raven already liked him. 

As she left, Charles re-directed his attention to the screen. He pressed ‘reply’ though he had no idea what to say. How does one respond to that? Should he ask more questions? That seemed the only think he  _could_ do. He felt exceedingly tempted to call Raven back in there and ask her advice, though he decided against it. He didn’t know anyone else who’d be of any use, either. He was on his own. 

He was beginning to give up when another email landed in his inbox. To his surprise, this one was from Erik as well. Eyes sparkling with curiosity, Charles opened the message to find a link to an online chess game, under which Erik had written “Okay, maybe I won’t go  _that_  easy on you.” 

The website required a sign-up to play, and Charles quickly typed his in email address and password. He couldn’t keep himself for smiling as he made his move. The corner of the page read ‘Erik Lehnsherr (online) vs. Charles Xavier (online).’

Erik moved one of his pawns, whereafter Charles did the same. They kept playing like that until beyond midnight, neither recognizing the hour. By the time they finished, it was 1:00am, and Erik had won. It had been an intense game though, and Charles had almost claimed victory. However, towards the end, his opponent made a brilliant move that resulted in a bitter checkmate. And yet, despite his defeat, Charles was beaming with exhilaration.

It was only a few moments before he received another mail. 

_That was fun. I did expect someone who wants to attend Oxford to be a little more advanced in his abilities. Thank you for the game, Charles ;)_

Charles decided that Erik was a dick. And yet, he was a very intriguing, beautiful, clever dick. Just his type, then. 

_I went easy on you. I wanted to instill you with false confidence so my victory will be even more epic next time. Thanks for the game :)_

Erik seemed overly fond of smileys so Charles added one to the end of his mail. After he pressed send, he got up from the chair in which he’d been sitting for a good two hours, and walked downstairs with the intention of making to pre-bedtime tea. He frowned upon seeing Raven still sitting in front of the TV in the mini-living room that opened into their kitchen, aware that she’d demand to know what he’d been doing for so long.

“Hey, Charles,” She muttered sleepily. “Did you respond to Erik?” 

“Mmhm,” Charles answered, internally praying for no more questions. However, it was never that easy. 

“What’d you end up saying?” 

He filled the pot with water and set it to boil. “Well, I didn’t respond per se. He sent me a link to one of those online chess thing, and we just played a game. No harm done.” 

“Ohhh, that’s sexy,” Raven’s tone was sarcastic, though she seemed pleased. "You know what they say: couples who nerd out together, stay together."

Once the tea finished brewing, Charles poured a two cups; one for himself and one for Raven. “You should give him your number,” she yawned as he placed the cup in front of her. “It’s hard to talk casually over email.” 

“Give it time,” Charles sat down on the couch, letting his sister rest her legs on his. “I have a feeling he’ll give me his first.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the sweet comments! This story is really fun to write, so expect more frequent updates :)


	3. Chapter 3

Charles was right. Not that it was a rare occurrence, but this time he was significantly more pleased with it. The morning after he’d played online chess with Erik, he awoke at 7:00 to this sound of a reverberating _BING_ coming from his phone. He hated how quick he was to open his email, his stomach already fluttering with exhilaration. 

The email was, much to his pleasure, from Erik. 

 

_Good morning, Charles._

 

Why was it so seductive when he used his name? 

 

_Thank you for last night, we should do that again sometime._

_Since I hardly ever check my email, I thought it’d be better if you had my phone number. You know, just in case._

_If you want to avoid the international texting fees, use WhatsApp. It’s free._

 

And there it was. Charles figured they were the most beautiful 11 digits he’d ever seen, and spent a few short moment just staring at them in awe. He downloaded WhatsApp and added Erik’s number to his phone, contemplating what he should say. Should he message him now? He knew he had to be the one to text first, as Erik didn’t have his number yet. 

Raven would know what to do. Charles knew it was only a matter of time before she stuck her head into his room and asked if he wanted eggs or toast, the way she did every Sunday morning when their parents were otherwise engaged and the maid had her day off. 

And surely enough, exactly six minutes subsequent to the moment he had the thought, Raven entered. “You’re awake?” She seemed surprised, as if she didn’t know about Charles’s habit of waking up before the bloody sun rose. “Eggs or toast?” 

“Toast,” He responded, unsure of how to structure his question. 

Raven tilted her head and squinted her eyes at Charles. “What do want to ask?” How the hell could she tell? She’d always been extremely good at knowing her brother; ever since they were younger she’d had a sixth sense for him. 

“Well, Erik sent me his number and—“

He was interrupted by an excited squeal from Raven. “I told you so!” 

“Actually, _I_ told _you_ so,” he corrected her, “and that’s not the point. I mean, it sort of is. Uh, should I… text him?” 

“Well, Charles,” She smirked, “that is usually what people tend to do when they get someone’s number.” 

“Funny.” 

Raven, despite Charles’s apathetic reaction, looked pleased with herself. “Just say hi, let him know who you are. I’ll make you breakfast, just come down when you’re ready.” And with that, she exited the room. 

Charles was left staring blankly at his phone. Casual. It had to be casual. 

[Charles Xavier]

_Hey, it’s Charles :)_

 

Yeah, that was good. He pressed ‘send’ and awaited the response, hoping it would come sooner rather than later. His prayers were quickly answered when the little dot next to Erik’s name turned green, and three dots appeared at the bottom of the screen. 

 

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Hey there_

 

What now? He hadn’t thought this far ahead. Luckily, he didn’t have to worry much before another message came in.

 

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_How are you?_

[Charles Xavier]

_Quite well actually, despite only getting five hours of sleep_

[Charles Xavier]

_How about you?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Pretty well :)_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_What time is it in England?_

[Charles Xavier]

_8:30, I was just about to have breakfast :)_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Well, what’s stopping you?_

[Charles Xavier]

_I’m talking to you_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_You can’t eat while talking to me?_

[Charles Xavier]

_You deserve my full attention_

 

_***_

 

Erik paused. Oh dear lord, that was adorable. How was he expected to respond to that?

“Emma!” He lightly tapped her on the shoulder, while holding out his phone.

He’d slept over at her house as he had no desire to return home and face his stepfather, and they’d gone to sleep early, crashing in front of the TV. As a result, they woke up as the sun rose and continued the movie they’d started the night before. Emma had told Erik to email Charles his number and, after much argumentation, he’d agreed to do it, though he still thought it was pushing the limit of their not-even-friendship. He was beyond relieved when Charles texted him only moments after he’d sent the mail. He had, however, concealed this from Emma, as he knew she’d only tease him about it. 

And yet, he needed her help and had to let her know. 

She turned to face him, and upon noticing the writing on the screen, eagerly started reading. Her face grew more and satisfied. “I told you it was a good idea to give him your number. Dibs on being maid of honor at your—“

“Yeah, okay, Emma. Point is, what do I say now?”

She pursed her lips, re-reading the conversation. “Flirt back. You’re good at that, aren’t you?” 

“I mean, yes but…” He sighed in defeat. 

“What, this little marshmallow renders you completely powerless? Does Erik M. Lehnsherr have a soft spot for nerdy, blue-eyed boys?” There was the response Erik had expected from her.

He didn’t say anything, but instead contemplated what to write back. He hated to admit that Emma was right; he was completely impotent against this boy. 

 

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_How flattering_

[Charles Xavier]

_I try_

 

Erik ran a hand through his messy hair. He was usually so good at this.

 

[Charles Xavier]

_Well, Erik, my sister’s getting impatient. I’ll talk to you later?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Certainly_

Upon putting down his phone, Erik leaned back in his chair. Emma looked sympathetically at him. “He’s got you bad, huh sugar? How come? You don’t even know the guy.”

 

***

 

“What did he say?” Raven looked excitedly at Charles as he descended the stairs. “You better have flirted with him.”

He laughed, taking a seat at the unreasonably large dining table on which Raven had placed a perfectly toasted piece of bread. “We just talked a little. Nothing of import, really,” He clarified. 

“So you wouldn’t mind if I were to just… Read it?” 

Charles handed her his phone, watching her scroll through the messages. With each text, her expression grew more and more enthusiastic. “Ha!” She exclaimed as she gave him his phone back. “You did flirt!” 

“When?” Now Charles himself had to re-read the conversation. “I swear that wasn’t—“ 

“Sure it wasn’t,” Raven said sarcastically. There was a brief pause in which he wondered when this ‘flirting’ took place. 

Raven sighed. “You really mean to tell me that you don’t think ‘ _you deserve my full attention’_ counts as flirting? Come on, Charles.”

“I suppose it does in retrospective…” He looked at his plate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is a little short, but I have the other one written already so I'll probably be posting that as well within the next couple of days :) Thanks for reading!!


	4. Chapter 4

****“You’re probably wondering what the whole purpose of this program is,” Mr. Howlett spoke, while flinging his legs onto his desk. “Well, I didn’t want to let you know right off the bat, but since I don’t really care how well you do in this class, I might as well just tell you now.”

The majority of the students were too busy abusing the free computer time to listen much to the teacher. Hardly any of them were actually writing to their ‘forced besties,’ but were rather messing around on the internet or updating their social media.

“You’re going to write an essay about your pen pal.” Mr. Howlett smirked as all the distracted students raised their heads in shock. “I expect about one thousand words. Write everything you can possibly find out. What do they want to do for a living? What do they love? What do they hate? What’s their favorite damn cereal?”

While the students groaned in unison, Charles, who was seated in the very front, was overcome with the sudden realization that despite his favorite book and hatred for biology he knew virtually nothing about Erik. But he intended to. In fact, he was going to do so as soon as he got home.

 

***

 

Erik had to leave Emma’s house — his usual safe-spot after school—, as her parents had returned from their vacation early and accused them of having slept together. Little did they know that Erik was very much not straight, and their daughter already had a boyfriend (with whom she _did_ have sex very frequently). 

So now Erik was sitting alone on a park bench, taking in the view of runners and couples, of which the quantity seemed endless. As there was nothing better to do, he read through his conversation with Charles. He had to blink a couple of times when he noticed a new message at the bottom of the screen. 

[Charles Xavier]

_Hello_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Hi there_

[Charles Xavier]

_I’m not sure whether your teacher’s told you this yet, but I just found out that the end goal of this whole pen pal thing is to write a paper about each other_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_I was not aware of that_

[Charles Xavier]

_I don’t think we’re supposed to be_

[Charles Xavier]

_Anyway, I thought we ought to get to know one another. You know, if we’re meant to write a full essay_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Naturally._

[Charles Xavier]

_Alright then. Tell me anything. There must be more to you than magnetism and good literature._

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_I highly doubt that_

[Charles Xavier]

_What’s your favorite food?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_I don’t know… Soup?_

[Charles Xavier]

_Never been a fan of soup. I prefer desserts._

[Charles Xavier]

_Your turn_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Favorite time of year?_

[Charles Xavier]

_Winter, it’s so cosy. You can have tea all the time and no one judges you_

[Charles Xavier]

_Yours?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Fall. Or winter. I hate when it’s warm outside._

[Charles Xavier]

_Have any pets?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_No, stepdad won’t allow it. I’d love to have a dog, though. And you?_

[Charles Xavier]

_Not yet, though we’re considering a puppy._

[Charles Xavier]

_How tall are you?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_6”1, though I’m not supposed to grow any more_

[Charles Xavier]

_5”9_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Single?_

[Charles Xavier]

_As single as it gets_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Me too_

[Charles Xavier]

_Ideal date?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Order takeout, crash on the sofa while watching a good movie_

[Charles Xavier]

_Perfect_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Ideal girl?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Or boy_

[Charles Xavier]

_Fairly tall, interesting, can carry on conversations, good taste in books_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Shorter than me, intriguing eyes, passionate_

[Charles Xavier]

_Last one, I’ve got to go after this. Favorite colour?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Red_

[Charles Xavier]

_Blue :)_

[Charles Xavier]

_Alright, got to run. Talk later?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Certainly_

Erik ran his hands through his hair, taking in a deep breath. Holy _shit_. Charles Xavier had to be the single most adorable person he’d ever talked to. 

He stood up from the bench on which he’d been sitting for the past half hour. He wasn’t sure where he was going, but the adrenaline that surged through him demanded movement. The park seemed more lively, the birds were louder and the wind was softer, while the couples seemed more in love. Erik found his eyes drawn to them, pairs of carefree people whose happiness was entirely caused by each others presence. He’d always thought they annoyed him more than anything, but at that very moment he was saddened by their contentment. 

He didn’t want to go home, but he knew he had to. He had homework to do, and nowhere else to do it. He also knew that the longer he stayed away, the angrier his pretend-father would grow.

His house was only minutes from the park. He took his time walking and even stopped to get coffee. And yet, eventually he found himself in front of the dramatic entrance to his home, his eyes falling on the detailed carvings of the wooden door. He opened it, praying to whatever God that no one was home, or that those who were didn’t notice his presence. 

However, he wasn’t that lucky.

“Erik…” Sebastian’s tone was a sorry caricature of concern. “Erik, Erik, Erik… Where’ve you been?” 

“Around… Emma needed help with some homework so I thought I’d—“

“I’m sure she did. And I’m sure that’s why you just forgot to inform us of this change of plans?” 

Erik sighed. “I’m sorry, Mr. Shaw.” 

“As you should be. Now, go along,” He spoke as if he was a military general, howling commands at his soldiers. This command, however, was one Erik happy to obey. 

 

***

 

Charles couldn’t help but read through the conversation over and over again. He was proud of himself; his awkward nature hadn’t shown nearly as much as he’d expected it to. Unless, of course, that was only his opinion.

Raven had read it too, naturally. There was no way he could’ve done this without her help. Her expertise in the area of flirtation was greater than that of anyone Charles knew. 

He was in the middle of a very interesting part of his current book when his phone made a noise from it’s charging station in the corner of his bedroom. He felt a smile crawl onto his face as he looked at the screen to see Erik’s name. 

 

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_I have a ton of biology homework_

[Charles Xavier]

_You say that as if it’s a bad thing._

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_It’s a terrible thing_

[Charles Xavier]

_I could always help if you’d like_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_That’d be great, thank you. Do you happen to know anything about genetic mutations?_

[Charles Xavier]

_A whole lot, actually. Though it will be a little difficult to explain like this_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_You could always call. Unless it’s too expensive, of course_

[Charles Xavier]

_Good idea, money’s hardly a problem_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Great, talk to you in a minute then?_

[Charles Xavier]

_Yup :)_

 

Charles watched as the words “Incoming call: Erik Lehnsherr” appeared on his screen, while his ringtone echoed throughout the silent room. Before he pressed ‘accept,’ he tried to imagine Erik’s voice. He figured it would be sweet and comforting and tinted with a German accent.

“Hello?” He finally uttered, after accepting the call and pressing the phone to his ear. 

There was a brief silence in which he wondered if he’d said something wrong or if his voice had sounded weird or his accent had taken Erik by surprise. 

However, after what felt like minutes, the other boy responded. “Hello Charles.”

Oh dear _lord_. Wow. Alright. Charles had imagined him to sound many ways, but none of them even came close to reality. The baritone of his voice reverberated even through the phone; a deep, soothing sound which Charles swore could’ve lulled him to sleep right then and there.

“It’s a pleasure to finally hear your voice,” Erik continued.

Charles laughed lightly at the irony of that statement. “The pleasure is all mine.”

Then they were silent. For an all-too-short moment, the only thing on the line was Erik’s heavy breathing. He was clearly nervous, or at least a bit uneasy. “So,” he finally said, “genetic mutations.”

“Right,” Charles drew his mind back from the distracting thoughts of hearing that deep voice uttering much more inappropriate words than those it had so far. “It all starts with Charles Robert Darwin…” 

 

***

 

Erik had to admit, he had no idea what Charles was on about. Even if he _had_ cared about the Theory of Natural Whatever, he was fairly certain he wouldn’t have been paying much attention anyway, given that his tutor on the subject had the most charming British accent. This, along with the nervous giggle he’d let out every now and then and the uninhibited passion in his voice, was enough to distract even the most focused of people.

Charles Xavier’s problem was that he was just too _cute_.

“Uh… Does that make sense? Forgive me for being so precise, I’m sure your work doesn’t require that amount of detail,” He giggled again. Why did he do that? Was he that determined to make Erik melt into a puddle? If that was it, he was doing a pretty good job.

“Yes, perfect sense. Thank you, Charles,” He managed to say, despite his feeling of complete and utter paralyzation. 

“So, uh…” 

No. Erik refused to let the conversation end. According to his watch, they’d only been talking for twelve minutes and he sure as hell was not going to let go of that perfect voice just yet. “Wait,” there was an undeniable desperation in his voice, “I started writing my essay earlier, but I only managed to get one paragraph done because—“

“We hardly know anything about each other,” Charles finished his sentence.

“Exactly.” 

Again, silence filled the air. “Okay,” Charles finally spoke, “Tell me your life story.”

Erik laughed, unsure of what to tell him. “Well… I was born here in Germany. I guess I haven’t really known anything other than Frankfurt… Uhh…” He paused. He wanted to let everything go, tell Charles everything he’d been through, about everyone who’d ever wronged him and everyone he’d ever wronged.

He figured he was the type of person who’d _understand_. If Erik admitted to having killed a man, Charles would try to find a reason why. Weirdly enough, he trusted him more than most people he’d seen face-to-face. “My dad wasn’t around much so my mom remarried this guy called Sebastian,” Why was he telling a stranger this? Were they even still strangers? “My last name was supposed to be Shaw, but I’m not particularly keen to be named after the biggest idiot I know. I mean, he’s not… I’m not saying my mum has poor judgement. But he’s a lot different around me than he is around her.” He ranted, letting the words flow directly past his lips without the permission of his brain.

Silence again. “Does he hurt you, Erik?” Charles’s voice was soft and pitiful and resembled that of a someone talking to a hurt child. 

“No.” Erik said, though that wasn’t strictly true. “No, he just pressures me a bit. He’s very set on ‘unlocking my true potential.’ It’s nothing serious.” 

Charles didn’t respond. Great _._ How had Erik managed to fuck this up?

“Anyway, your turn,” Erik tried his hardest to sound cheery and carefree. Shaw wasn’t the kindest person on earth, but it was personal and certainly not something Charles needed to worry about. 

 “Erik…” 

“Charles, I appreciate it, really, but it’s nothing. I’m sure your parents pressure you too a bit. It’s normal.” 

Charles scoffed, “Hardly. They’re not really around much. In fact, I pressure myself more than they ever have.” 

“I sort of wish my parents weren’t around.” Erik confessed. “I could just go live with Emma.”

“Best friend?”

“Yeah.” 

Erik felt a dire need to change the subject, which had grown unexpectedly dismal. It felt nice, though, for Charles to know one of the most prominent parts of his life. Only really Emma knew about Sebastian and she wasn’t the most optimal person to talk to about that kind of thing. “So, Charles,” he started, “ask me something dumb.”

“Pardon?”

“I’d like to change the subject. Ask me something dumb.”

Charles hesitated. “Alright, well… Forgive me if I’m being forward but… When did you have you first kiss _?”_

 _“_ This girl in kindergarten, though I hardly think that counts.” He let out a laugh, slightly embarrassed by his lack of romantic involvement. “You?”

Though he couldn’t see him, Erik knew he was smiling. “I’m afraid I haven’t had one yet”

“Really? Even with that face of yours?” Right as the words passed his lips, he realized he’d fucked up. Charles wasn’t supposed to know he knew what he looked like. Oh god. He was going to think Erik was some crazy stalker who’d hunted him down on social media. 

To be fair, that was almost the case. 

He giggled again. “You’re one to talk. I’m sure you get millions of admirers with those eyes.”

Oh. 

_Oh._

So he’d seen him too. Erik couldn’t help but wonder if Charles was, in fact, the crazy stalker. However he quickly eliminated that possibility, rationalizing that he probably had a friend like Emma who knew exactly how to navigate social media, and had found Erik’s Instagram or something.

“Don’t be so certain,” Erik assured him. “Though I did have an old lady call me a ‘fine young man’ the other day”

“Old ladies _are_ known to be incredibly perceptive.” Did this guy know how flirty he was? 

“She was blind.”

Though Erik hadn’t meant for that to be funny, Charles burst into the purest, most sincere laughter he’d ever heard. If he hadn’t been smitten before, he certainly was now. Even Erik himself couldn’t refrain from chuckling.

“I’m sure she only needed to hear your voice to know how much of a ‘fine young man’ you are,” Charles finally said.

Okay, he had know how flirty that sounded. “You’re not too bad yourself.” Erik figured that two could play at that game.

Again, Charles chuckled contently. After a brief moment of silence, he spoke. “I’m terribly sorry, Erik, but I’ve got to run. I hope we’ll get to talk like this again some other time.” 

“Certainly. Talk to later, Charles.”

And then he hung up. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to those of you who've commented, read and left kudos on this story, it means a ton :)

Charles had only just hung up when Raven burst into the room. She looked overjoyed. “You’re such a _flirt_ , Charles!” She squealed.

“A what?”

“Oh, come _on_. You can’t tell me you didn’t just hear yourself!”

Charles, upon realizing that she’d been listening in on his conversation, glared at his sister. “Well, you certainly did.”

“I know, I know. Respect your privacy and blah blah blah,” Raven rolled her eyes, though she didn’t stop smirking. “I just thought you might need help. Though you seemed to have that perfectly under control.”

“Was I really that bad?” His expression turned nervous. Maybe Erik disliked him now. Maybe he thought he was some pervert, or a tease who’d flirt with anything that moved. He probably had no idea that Charles couldn’t even speak normally to people without stuttering, or that he’d once walked into a wall because he was looking at a dog across the street. He wasn’t some smooth flirt, and he certainly didn’t want Erik to see him that way. 

“Well, I have no idea what he was saying to you. If he was equally flirty, it’s totally okay for you to return the favour,” Raven reassured him. It was obvious by her tone that she’d very much like to know what the other half of the conversation had sounded like.

“I’m not sure…” He shrugged. He’d felt as though the conversation had gone well, though he was beginning to seriously doubt whether that was the case. 

Raven sighed, taking a moment to think. “Okay,” She said, “answer yes or no. Did he use your name a lot?”

“I mean he—“

“Yes or no.”

“Yes.” 

“Good,” She nodded approvingly. “Did he compliment you?” 

“Yes.”

“Were there any awkward silences?”

“They weren’t awkward.”

Raven’s lips curled into a smug smile. “You guys might as well be married.”

“That’s a little rash” Charles joked, though a wave of relief washed through him. After all, Erik _had_ been surprised he’d never kissed anyone, which had to be a compliment. He also had to be aware of the effect of using Charles’s name; the warm sensation it sent surging through his body. 

***

Emma was going to want to know everything about the conversation. In fact, it’d have been easier if Erik had just recorded it. It certainly would’ve saved him the time it was going to take to explain. Then again, he didn’t intend to tell her about his little therapy session.

She was completely quiet (a very rare occurrence) throughout his brief explanation. When he finished, however, she broke the silence, “Erik you are such a flirt.” She shook her head in mock disappointment.

“ _He’s_ a flirt. I was just returning the favour.”

This time, Emma’s disappointment was genuine. “You’re an idiot,” She stated. “I’ve met people like Charles before. They’re always completely oblivious to the fact that they’re flirting; they think they’re just being nice.”

Erik’s mood fell. So he wasn’t doing it on purpose? Now that he thought about it, it was obvious. Of course he wasn’t flirting, he wasn’t that type of person. Erik hated how he’d thought that. And he hated how much cuter it made Charles that his awkward friendliness had been mistaken for flirtation. 

“Even so,” Emma broke through his thoughts, “you’re not exactly hard to flirt with.”

Erik ran his hands through his hair, wondering what the hell he was doing. Even if Charles _was_ head over heals for him, it was unlikely they’d ever meet. And if they somehow got that arranged, it would probably be awkward in real life. “Maybe I should just stop talking to him.”

She sighed, taking a seat on her bed. “Erik you’re such a drama-queen. Why the hell would you do that?” 

“Chances are we’ll never meet anyway. I can’t start liking someone who lives—“ 

Emma interrupted, “Two hours away? Come on, Lehnsherr. If you’re not willing to buy a €130 plane ticket to go see him, maybe you should stop wasting his time.” 

“He doesn’t even know what I really look like! He’s only seen that one horrible picture on your Instagram,” Erik argued, though he sensed that Emma, as always, had a very good point.

She rolled her eyes and stood back up, starting to rummage through one of her beside table’s drawers.

He stood up from the beanbag in which he’d been sitting for the past God-knows-how-long. Emma’s room was extremely organized, almost to the point of obsession. Her wardrobe was the worst; pants were flawlessly folded and placed neatly on shelves, while large, furry coats hung tightly packed. The rest of the room had a very strict colour-scheme of all white, with only very subtle hints of gold in between the pale interior.

“What are you doing?” He asked. 

“We’re gonna get a good picture of you,” Emma smiled. She knew he’d be opposed, same way that she knew she’d convince anyway. 

“Yeah that’s not happening.” 

She finally pulled out a camera, a gift from her dad if Erik remembered correctly. “We both know it is. Why don’t you spare us the time and just go along with it now?” 

***

“Charles!” Raven called out. “Charles, you gotta see this!” 

Her brother came down the stairs. He still hadn’t changed out of his pajamas, which was hardly surprising seeing as it was the weekend and they had no plans all day. “What?” 

Raven kept quiet, only holding out her phone. It was opened to Instagram, and displayed a very _very_ nice picture of Erik. It looked like it’d been taken without him being ready. He was standing in front of some large building, holding an ice cream and wearing a red jacket and dark pants, his eyes fixed on something to his left. Overall, it was the dictionary-description of flawless. 

Charles wasn’t quite sure what to say. If he was being honest, he felt the need to print it out and hang it in a museum, along all the other pieces of fucking art. “Is that Erik?” He ended up asking stupidly. 

“Mhmm,” Raven nodded, smirking at her brother’s flustered expression. “It seems his friend Emma suddenly felt the need to post a picture of her ‘best buddy’”

“How coincidental.”

“Sure is,” She giggled.

 

***

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Hi there_

[Charles Xavier]

_Hello :)_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_How are you?_

[Charles Xavier]

_Amazing, I’ve been in my pajamas all days_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Me too_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_And I got an A+ on my biology homework_

[Charles Xavier]

_You’re welcome :)_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Thank you, Charles_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Trouble is, my teacher assigned me another project because he believed I was finally living up to my true potential_

[Charles Xavier]

_Well I’m free all day if you need me :)_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Thank you, but I’m afraid I’ve been asked to build a model. I hardly think you can help with that on the phone_

[Charles Xavier]

_Shame_

[Chales Xavier]

_I mean I do have FaceTime, if you’re in dire need of help_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_I’d hate to waste your time_

[Charles Xavier]

_Time well-spent isn’t wasted_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_I wouldn’t say helping an idiot friend is time well-spent_

[Charles Xavier]

_Helping my idiot friend happens to be my favourite pass-time activity_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Well in that case_

Charles felt his hands shake as the words _Incoming FaceTime call: Erik Lehnsherr_ appeared on his screen. Holy shit. He knew what he looked like, but a picture was very different to seeing someone move and talk and _exist._ What if he thought Charles was strange? What if he didn’t like the way he subconsciously bit his lip or touched his hair. Oh lord.

It’d all happened so fast. He’d had no time to prepare neither physically or mentally, and he wasn’t quite sure what to say. He wasn’t very good at interacting with other living human beings. Then again, his phone call with Erik had gone very smoothly so maybe…

He pressed accept. It took a moment for the image to load. However, when it did Charles wasn’t quite sure how to react. He knew Erik was attractive. That had been obvious from the photo he’d seen that very morning, and the warm nature of his voice. But he had no idea he looked like _that_. He was wearing his pjs, which had a plaid red pattern. His hair was somewhat of a mess, but in that cute, careless way you’d always see in the movies. He was sitting at a desk, and behind him was a large, mostly white room.

Then there was his face. There were dark bags under his eyes (though they were nowhere as bad as Charles’s) but somehow they suited him. The eyes themselves were very green, perfectly resembling the viridescent appearance of a forest at spring-time. He wasn’t just attractive. He was gorgeous.

***

“Hi,” Erik breathed, looking with admiration at his screen. Charles was probably as flawless as they came. Until now, Erik only had that one picture off of which he’d based all his unintentional daydreams. What the picture failed to capture, however, was how damn blue Charles’s eyes were. Erik tried to think of a comparison, but he figured no natural phenomenon resembled the colour. He couldn’t help but imagine what they looked like in real life.

“Wow,” Charles, who’d been back staring at Erik with equal intensity, smiled. “You’re… You look a lot different like this.”

Erik was suddenly reminded that he hadn’t even attempted to control his hair or fix the dark circles beneath his eyes. Not that there was much he could do about it now. “Different?” He cocked his eyebrows in the way he’d seen Emma do it when she was trying to be flirty. Was he even doing it right? Probably not.

“Uh,” Charles’s expression grew flustered. Good lord, he was adorable. “No, I meant good different. You’re extremely cute — I mean, not like that — I mean… Uh…”

“Thank you, I think,” Erik laughed, unable to keep himself from getting amused at Charles’s struggling. “You’re pretty cute too.” 

He was fairly certain he’d never seen a human being blush as much as Charles did right then. “Thank you.”

Erik had to admit that the blushing caught him off guard. He wasn’t expecting that level of adorable this early into the conversation. “I, uh, biology…” _How eloquently spoken._

“Yes, right. So you’re doing a model?”

Erik nodded. “DNA? Uh, something about a sugar-something backbone… Base-pairs? I don’t know.” 

Charles started explaining. Erik listened, and followed his instructions, though he found himself constantly distracted by the movement of his lips or the little glint behind his eyes. If he was attractive normally, he was absolutely perfect when he spoke about something he loved. 

Once they’d gone back and forth, discussing the different components of the project, over an hour had passed. Erik looked at the finished product. He had to admit that his superior crafting skills combined with Charles’s precise knowledge resulted in a model deserving of at least an A. 

He’d understood a lot of the explanation, with the exception of a few things. He wasn’t exactly keen to end the conversation, so he decided that he’d ask a few questions. “What about the-" Erik paused. Charles was subconsciously biting his lip, which was incredibly distracting, especially considering how cute he looked. "The, uh..." Oh god this was embarrassing. But there was nothing Erik could do. If only he'd stop being so fucking adorable.

"Pardon?" Charles furrowed his eyebrows. 

“Y’know…” Why wouldn’t he _stop_. Did he know how distracting it was? “The…”

A concerned look crawled onto his face. “Erik, are you alright?” 

 _No._ “Me? Of course. I’ve never been better.” He spoke, relived to see Charles finally stop the disconcerting lip-biting.

“Oh, I meant to tell you,” Charles said, in an attempt to change the subject from Erik’s discomfort, “My dad went to Germany recently and he brought home this chocolate and I must tell you, you have the _best_ sweets over there.” 

Erik smiled at Charles’s need to mention that. “I know.”

They sat there for a moment, looking at their screens in silence. After a couple of seconds, Charles started chuckling. Holy shit. If Erik had found the lip-biting distracting, it was nothing compared to this. His laugh wasn’t so much from the mouth as from the eyes; they lit up with a heartfelt intensity so perfect Erik thought he’d never forget it. Dear lord, he was in deep.

Erik followed suit and begun giggling as well.

“I’m sorry, it’s just so different seeing you like this,” Charles smiled. “Alive and moving and all.” 

“I know, it’s kind of surreal,” Erik agreed, studying his computer screen. He wished he could be there, see him in 3D. And yet, even if this was as good as it got, it was more than enough.

“You’re a lot more attractive than your pictures let on.”

Erik felt his stomach expand with emotion. He wasn’t quite sure _what_ emotion, though. Was he happy? Nervous? It was hard to tell. “I could say the same for you.” 

Why did he have to blush like that? He had to know how incredibly distracting and off-putting it was. He had to know that everything he did was extremely cute, he just had to.

“Well, I hope you get a good grade,” He finally said.

“I’m sure I will,” Erik looked to his right where he’d placed the model. “All thanks to you.” 

Charles laughed nervously, letting his eyes fall on Erik. “I’m happy to help.” 

“I owe you one.” 

“I’ll take you up on that, you know.” 

“I’m sure you will.”

“Talk later, then?”

“Certainly, Charles.”


	6. Chapter 6

****Erik never got drunk. Emma and him would sometimes go to parties (at her request, not his), but he never had anything to drink. At least not until one night.

It wasn’t even a party. It was hardly an ‘intimate gathering.’ No, it was nothing more than him, Kurt and Emma. She’d been asking about Charles and Erik’d started to think about him and about the extent of his little crush. In fact, that was all he could think. It’d been a week since they’d FaceTimed and the only thing he could see when he closed his eyes was that irritatingly adorable smile. He found it extremely debilitating, so it was reasonable that he accepted Emma’s offer of a sip of her beer. German beer was good. In fact, it was the best there was according to, well, everyone.

Personally, though, Erik hated the taste. It was sour and strong, and he could feel it make its way down his throat. Emma had promised it would dull his irritating romantic thoughts but, after half a bottle, the only thing it seemed to do was amplify them. 

He felt warm. Nice and warm, despite being outside in the early spring night. He wasn’t sure what time it was and he couldn’t bring himself to care. Kurt left at some point. Then Emma went as well, offering to take Erik home. But he didn’t want to go home. He wanted to talk to Charles. In fact, he was overcome with a very strong desire to _be with_ Charles. Not just talk. Not just FaceTime. No, he wanted to see his face and run his fingers through his hair and hug him and look at all the little sparks of light behind his eyes.

***

It was far too late for Charles to be awake, but he was in the middle of the most exciting part of his book and he had no plans of putting it down until he’d finished it completely. He’d read it on multiple occasions and each time it seemed as if it got better. He looked up for a brief moment, seeing “2:56am” in bright green letters on the digital clock next to his bed.

He was at the climax of the novel when his phone rang. He didn’t mute it anymore, in case Erik wanted to talk or needed his help with something. It was an unknown number. He figured that if someone felt the need to call him at what was now 2:57am, it was bound to be important. “Charles Xavier” He greeted, unsure of how formal the call was.

“Charles!” A familiar voice shouted enthusiastically. 

“Erik?” Charles asked. “This isn’t your number, are you alright?”

“I’m calling from a payphone,” He explained, his voice deeper than usual. “Listen. It’s very important. Do you consider yourself a hopeless romantic? I think you’re the type of person who’d like to get flowers and etc.”

Charles was overcome with confusion for a few moments, before he considered the very likely possibility that Erik was drunk. “Sure,” he answered.

“I knew it! Well, I am most definitely… I’m a _slut_ for chocolates, Charles. Did you know that? I was thinking, what if you take the next plane to Germany and we just sorta… Eat some chocolate?” Erik slurred, his voice infused with drunk happiness. 

“I’d love to, Erik, but it’s well past midnight. Why don’t you go to sleep? We’ll talk in the morning, I promise.” He’d never been in this kind of situation before and was quite frankly unsure of how to proceed. “Are you at home?”

“But if I sleep I won’t get to talk to you,” Charles could tell he was pouting. “And I don’t want to go home. I can’t, you see,” Erik sighed, “I mean, I can, but they’ll get mad and I just… Can we just talk a bit? Talking to you’s the best part of my day.”

Charles put his book away and sat up straight in his bed. He couldn’t help but hurt for Erik, who so desperately needed someone to listen. “Of course we can. What would you like to talk about?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t think this far ahead.” He hesitated. “You said you like romance. What’s the most romantic thing someone’s ever done for you?”

Charles took a moment to think, but could come up with nothing. “I’ve never… I don’t think anyone’s ever done anything romantic for me.”

“That’s a shame. With a face… No, actually, with a _mind_ that like that, you should be swimming in cheesy love letters and bouquets of flowers,” Erik’s voice was shaky, as if he was cold or nervous or an uncomfortable alloy of both. 

A _mind_. Charles couldn’t remember the last time someone fell for his mind. Maybe because there hadn’t been a last time. While he’d had girls look longing into his eyes and older women assure him that any girl would be lucky to have him, no one had ever specifically complimented the way he thought. His actions had been praised a couple of times, but never his entire mind. Then again, Erik was drunk off his ass, with had no idea what he was saying. 

“Thank you,” Was the only reply he could manage.

“Charles…” Erik’s voice suddenly turned soft and fragile, “I know I’m not in my right mind at the moment. I only had a bottle but I guess I’m a lightweight. Point is, I couldn’t stop thinking about… things and I tried to get them to go away. Only they didn’t go away. In fact, they seem much more prominent now than they did before,” he didn’t sound like he had any idea where this was going. “I’m going to regret this in the morning.”

Charles smiled, though he was perfectly aware he couldn’t see him. “It’s alright, Erik. We’ll just pretend it never happened, okay?” 

“You gotta stop doing that.” Erik mumbled.

“Doing what?”

“Saying things that make me wanna kiss you.”

Charles’ entire body went numb. _Erik is drunk_ , he repeated to himself. _He’s just drunk_.

He didn’t realise how much time had passed in silence until Erik spoke, “Charles…?” His voice was quiet, as if he anything louder would break him. “Charles I didn’t mean…” 

Without really meaning to, Charles started to giggle. It was 3:00am on a Friday night and his body was flooding with dopamine. He found himself unable to stop laughing, much to Erik’s confusion. “Charles?”

“Sorry, my friend,” He finally pulled himself together. “It’s very late, you should find somewhere to stay the night. Where’s your friend Emma?”

“She left.”

“Why don’t you give her call and ask her to take you home?”

Erik hesitated, probably considering the idea. “I don’t want to go home, Charles.”

“I know,” He replied, “but I don’t want you to freeze to death in a phone box.”

“Fine, I’ll call Emma. We’ll forget this in the morning, right?” Erik sighed in defeat. 

“Of course. Talk to you later.” 

“Certainly.”

***

 _Shit_.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._

Oh dear lord, this was terrible. 

Erik awoke with a throbbing headache and memories he desperately wished were just terrible dreams. He’d called Charles. He’d told him he wanted to kiss him. Why the bloody hell would he do that? 

“You’re awake,” Emma stated, standing next to the couch where he’d crashed. 

“Unfortunately.” He didn’t remember much, only that they’d promised each other to forget. And the kiss thing. He remembered the kiss thing.

“You told me you called Charles.”

“I did.”

Emma cringed. “What’d you say?”

He’d have loved to her tell her, but he didn’t know. With the exception something about chocolate and telling Charles he’d very much like to kiss him, his mind was completely blank. He hadn’t even had that much to drink. Had he? “It’s all sort of a mess. I don’t really know…”

“Either way, you better apologise.”

“Yeah.”

 

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_I am so, so sorry, Charles_

[Charles Xavier]

_Don’t worry about it_

[Charles Xavier]

_In fact, you’re quite cute when you’re drunk_

 

Why did he have to do that? Was it necessary for him to be so flirty all the damn time? 

 

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Only when I’m drunk?_

[Charles Xavier]

_;)_

 

A winky-face? Really? 

 

[Charles Xavier]

_Did you get your Biology model graded?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_A+ :)_

[Charles Xavier]

_I’m proud!_

[Charles Xavier]

_And you have no homework this weekend?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Sadly, no_

[Charles Xavier]

_Sadly? I thought you said it was a “terrible thing”_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_The homework is. Talking to you is rather fun, though_

[Charles Xavier]

_Who says you need homework to talk to me?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Good point_

***

_Incoming FaceTime call: Erik Lehnsherr._

Charles smiled as he pressed ‘accept.’ He was still in bed, despite the time. In his defense he’d stayed awake an hour after Erik’s call, considering all the possibilities; the most likely one was that he’d called his friend Emma and gone to her house to crash. However, there was also a chance that he’d forgotten her number and roamed the freezing streets all night, cold and alone. 

It was therefore perfectly explainable that a wave of relief washed over Charles when he texted him the next morning. Actually, you could hardly call it morning. It was just past noon when his phone had woken him up, with the expected apology from Erik. Charles had blown it off as if it was no big deal, though the events of the previous night were glued firmly to his mind.

“Charles!” Erik smiled happily once the video loaded. His eyes were tired, though not devoid of their usual spark. 

“Hello, Erik,” He replied. He’d never really understood the term ‘butterflies in your stomach,’ but the more he talked to Erik, the more the began to make sense of it. In fact, it seemed to be the only thing that described how he felt. 

“My head hurts,” Erik ran both hands through his hair. _God_ , he was attractive.

Charles smiled pitifully, wishing he could be there to help. “Alright,” he started, “here’s what you’re going to do. Do you have a blender?”

“I don’t, but Emma does,” Erik replied, slightly confused.

“Perfect. Right, then, you’re going to make a smoothie,” Charles instructed. “You might want to write this down. You’ll need 1 tablespoon coconut oil, to help your brain function and balance glucose levels; some Greek yogurt or chia seeds help to recover your digestive balance; a banana, for potassium and to help soothe your stomach; some frozen spinach or kale, to aid in detox and alkalinity; some blueberries aka antioxidants; and probably some ice cubes. It won’t exactly taste terrific, but it’ll get rid of your hangover.” 

Erik looked at him for a moment. He hadn’t been writing anything down and he didn’t seem like he’d concentrated too much on the instructions. He was just staring blankly at his screen, for a reason Charles couldn’t quite figure out. “Why don’t I just go downstairs and you can walk me through it?”

“Probably a better idea.”

***

He had to admit it was terrible. However, it worked almost immediately. Him and Charles spent a while talking, learning more and more about each other. By the time they’d run out of topics, it was almost dark outside. 

“Guess time flies when you’re enjoying yourself, huh?” Charles smiled, after Erik pointed out they their FaceTime call had lasted well over five hours.

“Guess it does.”

“Well, my friend, I’m afraid I have a dinner to attend. My parents are home for the evening before they go to… Egypt, I think, tomorrow morning.” 

Erik could only speak for himself, but he’d never felt as content as he did during their chat. Somehow, he felt more at home with someone in another country than he ever had in his own. Charles smiled apologetically, “Of course. We should talk again soon.”

Erik smiled back. “Certainly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments literally make my day!! Thank you so much for your support :)


	7. Chapter 7

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Charles_

[Charles Xavier]

_Yes?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_When’s your birthday?_

[Charles Xavier]

_Next Friday, actually :)_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Really?_

[Charles Xavier]

_Yup_

 

Charles took a sip of tea and returned to his essay. He was going through his and Erik’s old messages and taking note of everything he’d told him. Not that there really was much. Despite their phone calls and Q&As, there was only information enough for four paragraphs, adding up to 550 words. He’d written about Erik’s past (leaving out the traumatic bit about his birth-father and stepdad), his likes and dislikes and his personality. He figured he’d written all you could write about a person. He’d already mentioned helping him with his homework and their FaceTime and phone calls, and now there was nothing more he could say. 

 

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Want any presents?_

[Charles Xavier]

_Not really. I’m perfectly content as it is_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_There has to be something_

[Charles Xavier]

_Not in the slightest_

[Charles Xavier]

_Actually, there’s a book by Nessa Carey called The Epigenetic’s Revolution_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Have you ever been told that you’re a dork?_

[Charles Xavier]

_A couple of times, yes_

[Charles Xavier]

_There usually tends to be a ‘cute’ in there, though_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_That’s understandable_

 

Charles smiled at his phone. He felt beyond idiotic for getting feelings about symbols on a screen, but there was little he could do to stop it.

***

“So,” Emma smiled as the waitress put down a plate in front of Erik. He’d ordered eggs, though he wasn’t particularly fond of them. He’d been too caught up in his conversation with Charles to get a good look at the menu, so when the waiter had asked for his order, he’d blurted out the first thing he could think of.

Emma had found it extremely amusing. “How’s Charles?” She asked, looking with disgust at the salad she’d ordered.

“Good, I think. It’s his birthday next Friday.” 

She looked at him for a moment, before the corners of her mouth curved into a smile. “Get him something.”

“Are you insane?” Erik crossed his arms, “Isn’t that a little… Weird? I’ve only known him for a month. I don’t even have his address.” 

“Then _ask_ for it! Erik, you’re never going to get anywhere if you don’t try,” She argued back. Erik knew she was going to convince him, somehow she always did. “I don’t know Charles that well, but based on what you’ve told me he’s not the type to make the first move. So you gotta do it.”

“What if he gets uncomfortable?” 

“He won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

Emma sighed with her signature disappointment in Erik. “No I don’t. But grow a pair, Lehnsherr.”

_***_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Don’t take this the wrong way but I need your address_

[Charles Xavier]

_And why’s that?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_I just do_

[Charles Xavier]

_Coming to kill me?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Yes_

[Charles Xavier]

_1407 Graymalkin Lane_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Thank you very much_

[Charles Xavier]

_You’re welcome?_

[Charles Xavier]

_May I ask why, though?_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_No reason_

[Charles Xavier]

_Erik._

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_It’s your birthday soon and I’m your friend. Friends give each other stuff, right?_

[Charles Xavier]

_Erik, no_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_Erik, yes_

 

Charles couldn’t help but smile idiotically at his screen. It was, in fact, his birthday very soon, though he didn’t intend for it to be a big deal. 17 doesn’t mean anything; it’s right in-between your sweet sixteen and the official ‘adult’ age. He’d already told Raven that all he wanted was Chinese takeout and a Star Trek marathon. Of course, he knew her too well to expect her to actually _listen_ to him.

Still, no matter what type of forced socialization she’d pull him through, he had Erik’s present to look forward to. 

 

[Charles Xavier]

_I’d try to stop you but I don’t think it’ll be much use_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_That’s correct_

[Charles Xavier]

_Well, thank you, Erik :)_

 

He prayed he wouldn’t get him anything major.

***

“You gotta get him something major.” Emma grimaced as she noticed a bright-yellow dress in the window of one of the stores. Germany didn’t have many malls, but there sure were a lot of little boutiques. It was in one of these boutiques Erik and Emma found themselves, browsing for a gift for Charles. 

“He wanted this book…” Erik remembered. 

She nodded in agreement. “Alright, what else?”

“What else? Isn’t that plenty?” 

“Erik,” Emma shook her head in melodramatic disappointment, “Erik, Erik, Erik. I love you, but sometimes you’re a benighted dick.”

He grinned, more puzzled than amused by her remark. “A what?”

“You need to get him more than just bland old book. You like him, right? You’re not some desperate girl with no better ideas than those he gives you. You need to get him something he hasn’t just told you. Something personal.”

Erik was beginning to understand what she meant (a very rare occurrence in his case). “I think I have an idea, then.”

***

Friday came around, and Charles figured he’d finally discover the end product of the quiet phone-calls Raven had behind closed doors, along with the range of different products that’d been shipped to their house, all of which his sister had claimed to be “personal girl things.” 

He arrived home after a long day at school. Erik hadn’t texted him at all, which was slightly disappointing considering he knew it was his birthday. Not that Charles expected him to remember, but a little, annoying part of him sort of wished he had.

He waited outside the door for a few moments, smiling at the hushed whispers behind the door. He knocked twice, the way he always did and entered. 

Charles wasn’t quite sure what he’d expected. Perhaps some big social gathering, or a room filled with balloons. But that wasn’t it. Inside, Raven had cleared the entire left wall and set up a projector, which was currently playing the Star Trek theme. In front of it, she’d placed what looked like well over 100 pillows and blankets. The house smelled of chocolate and cinnamon. 

“Surprise!” Raven, Hank, Bobby, Ororo and Alex shouted in unison. They’d already made themselves comfortable in the sea of pillows, each holding a bowl of popcorn and sharing party-sized bags of chips.

Charles couldn’t keep himself from laughing, amazed that Raven had spent time setting this up, as if it were taken directly from a perfect dream. “Thank you.” 

“Sure,” Alex smiled, his mouth stuffed with popcorn. “Now come on, we gotta watch your nerd show.”

Raven stood up. “Wait.” She walked into the dining room, brining a number of poorly-wrapped presents back into the living room. “You have to open your gifts first.”

Charles started with Ororo’s. It was an impeccably soft sweater. Alex got him a t-shirt that said “if I were an enzyme, I’d be DNA helicase so I could unzip your genes.” From Bobby, he received a pen (which was far from as lame as it sounded, and actually something Charles had wanted for months), Hank gave a telescope from his dad’s laboratory, and from Raven he got four new sets of pajamas. 

Just as he was about to thank them, Raven presented another present. This one wasn’t wrapped in anything more than a cardboard box. “It’s from Erik,” She smiled. 

“Erik?” Charles looked at the box. He opened it with ease, a grin creeping onto his face as he saw the contents. On top was a hardcover copy of _The Epigenetic’s Revolution._ The book alone would’ve been more than enough, but beneath it was a completely new, probably very expensive chess set. It was made from wood, and came with beautifully carved pieces. On top of it was a note with the words “Maybe you can get some practice. Might finally make it a fair game.” At the very bottom of the box, Erik had placed a variety of authentic German chocolates. 

“Holy shit,” he muttered under his breath.

 Raven smirked with satisfaction, “Looks like he’s very fond of you.”

 

***

 

[Charles Xavier]

_OHMYLORDERIKTHANKYOUSOMUCHIDONTEVENKNOWWHATTOSAY_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_I’m going to assume you liked the present_

[Charles Xavier]

_‘LIKED’ IS A BLOODY UNDERSTATEMENT, ERIK_

[Erik Lehnsherr]

_:)_

[Charles Xavier]

_Seriously, I have no idea how to thank you_

[Charles Xavier]

_I can’t believe you did that_

[Charles Xavier]

_I feel as though I can’t express my enthusiasm via text_

[Charles Xavier]

_Give me a moment_

 

_Incoming FaceTime call: Charles Xavier_

Erik smiled at his phone. He was never going to admit that Emma’d been right, it really had paid off to buy some extra presents. To be fair, Charles deserved them more than anyone else Erik knew, and he was certainly more appreciative too. 

“Hello, Charles,” He greeted, once he’d picked up. 

“Erik!” He yelled, his voice filled with enthusiasm. “I can’t believe — How much did it cost you? Erik, you’re amazing!” He ran his hand through his hair, smiling as though he’d bought the entirety of England for him. 

“Really, you deserve it.”

“Do I?” He was so cute when he was confused.

Erik nodded, “Yeah. You’ve upped my biology grade to the extent where I’m top of my class, you cured me of that embarrassing hangover and you’ve… You’ve been there. Really, the present was too small for someone like you.” Even though the screen, his eyes were so goddamn _blue_. “In fact, people like you deserve the world.”

“Thank you, Erik.” Those stunning eyes began to water. _Shit._ Had Erik made him cry?

“Are you okay?”

“I’ve never been better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!


	8. Chapter 8

Erik took pride in his ability to sneak up the stairs without making them creak, and slipping silently into his room. That way, he could avoid Shaw’s questions and his mother’s disappointed looks whenever he came home past curfew.

It always worked. Except today. 

“Erik, honey, is that you?” His mother called weakly from the kitchen. “We’d like you to come dine with us.”

“I’m, uh, not hungry…” He yelled back. 

“Erik. Dining room. Now.” Shaw’s harsh tone wasn’t terrifying as much as it was infuriating. And still, Erik walked back down the stairs and sat down cross from the very man he’d sworn to kill so many times.

A suffocating silence fell over the table. The only sound was the clattering of cutlery against plates. “So,” Shaw finally spoke, though Erik wasn’t sure if his demeaning tone was any better than the quiet. “I read an article the other day.” _Exciting_. “About online relationships.”

Erik felt his appetite vanish, as his stomach twisted at the glance Shaw cast his way. His didn’t break eye-contact as he continued, “Apparently, over fifty percent of people aren't who they really say they are.” When no one reacted — not even Erik, who was trying desperately to remain calm — he went on: “I’ve never understood how you can be friends with someone you’ve never met.”

“Sometimes people you don’t meet are much better than the ones you do.” Erik was boiling with the kind of rage that disables rational and consequential thinking. From what Shaw said, to the way he looked at him with victory in his eyes, there was no way he didn’t know about Charles. How’d he found out? Erik had been so careful, he thought, so secretive.

His mother furrowed her eyebrows. “Pardon me?”

“No offense, of course. I just mean that it’s perfectly valid to be friends, or even fall in love, with someone you haven’t met. You’re supposed to like who they are as people,” Erik tried to suppress the anger that built up inside of him. _Calm your mind,_ he thought. 

“I just never understood. Those online relationships usually end up in murder or disappointment. Why would people want to do that? Plus, chances are you’re either talking to an idiot or someone who simply wants sex.”

“Or,” He tried to stop himself but once his heart got going, his brain was useless, “You’re talking to someone who understands you in ways no one else ever has or will.”

Shaw looked offended, as if he hadn’t expected Erik to fight back. “Those relationships never end well. They’re toxic.”

“You want to talk about toxic?” The rage coursing through his body had his head throbbing and his mind spinning, and there was no way he was going to try to dull it down. “You—“ Erik scoffed, “You’re the most hypocritical cock I’ve ever met!”

"I advise you to stop talking, Erik." Shaw spoke slowly. 

"I advise you to leave us alone! Go away! My mom doesn't love you, and I certainly don't either. So how come you're still here?"

And then came the longest ten seconds of Erik’s life. Shaw was clenching his fist and his mother was silently sobbing, the calm before he storm, he assumed. “Come over here, boy.” His stepfather spoke sternly and without a hint of warmth. 

“No.” 

“Did you hear me? You’re a disrespectful, terrible son. Your mother deserves better than this.”

Erik stood up from his seat. “At least we agree about something.” And with that, he turned around and left, making sure to slam the door. 

 

***

 

_Incoming call: Erik Lehnsherr_

“I’ve got to take this,” Charles told Raven and the others, who were in the middle of another romantic comedy. He exited to the balcony, where the fresh air relieved him from the smell of popcorn which polluted the movie-room. “Hello, my friend.” 

Erik didn’t respond at first, only breathed shakily. “Charles.”

“Was it Shaw?” He asked, perfectly aware of the answer. 

“I can’t ever go back home.”

Charles was overcome with a need to hug him. He certainly sounded like he needed it. Why did he have to be so bloody far away? “Nonsense. Tell me what happened, I’m sure it isn’t that terrible.”

However, as Erik spoke, Charles begun to see what he meant. “You called him a hypocritical cock?”

“Yes. And I stand by it.”

Charles couldn’t keep himself from laughing. There was something about Erik, something so brutally honest and real, that was impossible not to fall for. 

“Is it funny?” He sounded very confused, though he let out a chuckle too. 

“No, I’m sorry, it’s just…” _I love you._ God, he wanted to say that. He’d many times imagined what would happen if he did. He’d come to the conclusion that the most likely outcome was that they’d never speak again. 

Erik giggled. Actually bloody _giggled_. “It’s just what?”

“I admire your honesty, Erik.”

He let out some sort of sigh, though Charles couldn’t tell if it stemmed from disappointment or relief. “You know, I haven’t gotten to be honest in a very long time.” 

“Then be honest now. I promise I’ll listen.”

“What?”

He wasn’t sure what he was asking, he just knew he needed Erik to get better. At the moment, he was an emotional mess and since Charles couldn’t give him a physical hug, he had to give him a mental one. “The things that are on your mind, the things that you feel like no one else cares about, the things you’ve been trying to contain. Tell me them.” He wasn’t very good at a great many things, but he excelled at taking other people’s problems and making them his own.

Erik hesitated. “Alright.” There was relief in his voice, as if he’d wanted someone to ask for a very long time. 

 

***

 

Charles listened. Not just to respond or to analyse, but because he _cared._ Erik went on and on for longer than he liked to admit. By the end, his eyes were burning and his head hurt, but the heavy weight upon his shoulders was gone. 

“Erik…” He sensed pity in Charles’ voice. “Erik, I’m… Is there anything I can do?” 

He smiled as if they were standing across from each other. “You listened. That’s all I really needed. Thank you.”

“Always, my friend. You should ring Emma and ask if you can live with her for a while. I’m sure time will take care of this.”

“I’m sure it will.” Erik was perfectly aware that no amount of weeks or years or decades could repair the damage he’d done. And yet, Charles made it sound hopeful. "I just... Do you think it's my fault? I mean, maybe Shaw's perfectly normal and the problem is with me. I've been known to have... Anger issues."

Charles scoffed in disbelief. "No. I like to think I know you fairly well by now, and I'm certain there's nothing wrong with you. You acted the way anyone else would've."

"Not you." Erik reminded him. 

"Perhaps not. But I'm-"

"Different." He finished his sentence. "Maybe I'll just move to Sweden and never come back."

"No," Charles' voice was soft and comforting, and felt like a big, much-needed hug. "If you're moving anywhere, it'll be to England."

Erik laughed at the thought. He tried to imagine living with Charles, in his mansion-like estate with parents who were never home and a supportive sister, with more than one real friend. Wouldn't that be something? "You'd grow tired of me, I'm sure."

"Not before you'd grow tired of me," Charles assured him. "By the way, I finished my essay the other night. Do you know how difficult you are to write about?"

"Couldn't condense all the lovely things about me into 500 words?" 

Charles laughed. "Precisely," he yawned. “I'm sorry, Erik, but if we talk much longer I'm afraid I'll dose off. Talk to you tomorrow?” 

“Certainly.”

“Wait, one more thing. Do you know Emma’s address?”

“Sure, I’ll text it to you,” Erik said, giving no thought to why he’d asked. However, it didn’t take him long to figure it out, “Charles no.”

He could just tell that little fucker was smiling, even though he had no way of knowing. “Charles yes.”

 

***

 

He wasn't sure when the package would arrive, but he'd paid extra to get the fastest delivery possible. Raven and Ororo had helped him pick out a few things, all of which he thought Erik would appreciate, especially right now. 

Ororo had insisted that he bought him a teddy bear, and Raven had insisted that it had to be one of those huge ones you can always get around Valentine's Day. They'd eventually decided on one; a brown one holding a little red heart, that Charles swore was softer than anything he'd ever felt before.

He'd also managed to get a hold of a signed copy of  _The Once and Future King_ from eBay, which had cost far more than it was worth. Then again, Erik needed something to cheer him up, and it wasn't like the Xaviers lacked money. 

Only a day after he'd shipped the package, he received the expected text from Erik. 

 

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

Charles what the fuck? 

_[Charles Xavier]_

Like it?

 

 

_Incoming Call: Erik Lehnsherr_

Charles chuckled as the name showed up on his screen. "Hello, there."

"Charles!" Erik's enthusiastic tone was enough to make his entire year. "It's fucking signed! How did you- and the teddy bear's the softest thing I've ever touched!" He took a deep breath, calming himself. "Thank you."

"You needed it."

"I certainly did."

Charles wanted to ask how he was, if Shaw'd contacted him, but all he managed was "How's Emma?"

"She's fine. I've been living with her for the three days. Things are... Good, I guess. I'm worried about mother, but I don't think Shaw'd ever hurt her. He hasn't gotten in touch, neither of them have. It's for the better, I think. You were right, though, about time being a healer and all."

"You've no idea how relieved that makes me feel, Erik." Charles smiled. He seemed happy; a real, light sort of happy that can't be faked. 

"Thank you again," His voice was sincere. "I wish I could thank you properly. In person."

Charles couldn't help but consider _every_ meaning of that sentence. "Me too. Maybe someday."

"Certainly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO SO SO much for your sweet comments, they never fail to make my day :)  
> I'm sorry this chapter feels sort of rushed and different from the other ones, I haven't had much time to write this week. To be honest I'm not very happy with how this turned out, but I do intend to make up for it later on.


	9. Chapter 9

Things were better then they’d ever been before. Erik’s mom had called him and made sure he was alright. She knew where he was, but had promised to keep it to herself. 

He was also fairly certain Charles had made it his own personal mission to make him feel better. He’d been texting him multiple times every day, sometimes to ask how he was, and other times just to chat as a way of distracting him. Had it been anyone else, Erik would’ve gotten annoyed and told them to piss of and mind their business. But not Charles. Any excuse to talk to him seemed perfect. 

Emma’s face had, of course, lit up with joy as Erik told her about the increasing number of times they texted each day. She begun ranting about how all bad things lead to good things, the usual cheesy things she always said. 

“Erik, are you even listening?” She sounded vaguely annoyed. “I don’t give motivational speeches for my own sake.”

“I’m listening.”

She shook her head in mock disappointment, though she was still smiling. “Maybe if I got Charles to say this, you’d pay attention.”

He wanted to protest, but he knew she’d never said anything more true.

***

“Raven!” Charles called, hoping she was close enough to hear him. “Raven!”

It wasn’t long before she burst into his room, with her makeup half done and messy hair. “What?”

“Just look.” He handed her his phone, which was opened on a conversation between him and Erik. 

 

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

We should FaceTime more

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

I like seeing you :)

_[Charles Xavier]_

I like seeing you too

_[Charles Xavier]_

I love your little nipples

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

??

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

I’m sure that can be arranged ;)

_[Charles Xavier]_

DIMPLES**

_[Charles Xavier]_

I meant dimples.

 

Raven broke into uncontrollable laughter — she had to sit down on the bed to avoid falling over. 

“Bloody autocorrect," Charles brought his finger to his temples. "I can’t ever speak to him again.” He felt miserable and defeated, and yet his sister couldn’t get herself to comfort him, as she was too busy struggling to breathe. “Raven!”

“I’m sorry Charles but that has got to be the best thing I’ve ever read,” She managed to say in between gasps for air. It’d been a while since she’d laughed that hard. 

Charles was having trouble seeing why it was funny. He’d basically ruined his entire friendship with Erik, and couldn’t bring himself to talk to him again after that level of embarrassment, especially not if he’d found it as amusing as Raven. The worst part was that he probably thought he was serious until he corrected himself. 

It took a while, but eventually Raven calmed down. “Don’t worry about it,” She finally said, drying tears from her eyes. 

“Don’t worry!? It’s got to be the most humiliating thing I’ve ever done!”

She shot him a pitying look, “Seriously, Charles. Erik probably thought it was hilarious.”

“That’s the problem!” He buried his head in a pillow, resisting the urge to scream.

“The worst case scenario is that he thought it was cute. Boys love it when you embarrass yourself in front of them,” Raven assured him, placing a comforting hand on his back.

***

Despite everything Erik had been through, he’d never felt this close to dying. His lungs were failing him as laughter consumed every part of his body. Emma had a confused look on her face, and she’d asked multiple times what the hell was wrong with him. He only replied by showing her the conversation, causing her to start giggling as well.

“Poor boy, he must be so embarrassed.” She read the text again, breaking into a second round of laughter. 

“Why? It’s adorable,” Erik grinned. He wanted to tell Charles not to worry about it, let him know that he thought it was cute more than anything else.

Emma shook her head. “I doubt he thinks so.”

“Better tell him then.”

 

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

That has got to be the cutest thing you’ve ever done

_[Charles Xavier]_

I’m fairly certain you mean the most humiliating

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

I most definitely do not

_[Charles Xavier]_

So I don’t need to go hide in a hole?

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

I’d be very upset if you did

 

***

“See, I told you it’d work out,” Raven said. Her, Charles and Ororo had all met up at a local diner, and she’d been desperate to tell her friend about Charles’ incident. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Ororo agreed, although it was clear she was suppressing laughter. “I’m sure he’ll forget about it.”

“Raven, how’s your online friend doing?” Charles was desperate to change to subject, and could think of no other questions that would divert the attention from him to literally anyone else.

“Oh, Emma Frost? She’s great. Hardly ever talks about me or herself. I don’t know how I’m going to write an essay about her when all she ever asks is how you’re doing.” She nodded towards Charles. 

“How _I’m_ doing?” He raised his eyebrows. “Why does it matter to her?”

“She’s friends with Erik you idiot.”

“Right.” 

“We were talking about you yesterday. You should really go to Germany.” She’d suggested that on many occasions, and each time it grew more and more tempting. “It’d be romantic.”

“I want to,” Charles muttered, “But I don’t have time. Plus, things are good now, why would I want to spoil it?”

Raven and Ororo rolled their eyes simultaneously. “Seriously?” Raven sighed. “How would showing up with a bouquet of flowers and chocolates spoil anything?”

“Flowers? Really?” He would never admit that he’d thought about it. But there was always doubt in the back of his mind, that Erik wouldn’t like him in real life, that he wouldn’t be able to talk him the same way he could over the phone.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Charles.” Ororo put a hand on his shoulder.

He smiled at her. “I _do_ want to. I’m just worried about what he’ll think.”

“Think?” Raven rolled her eyes again, “You’ve been talking for how long now? Four months? Five?” Charles was just about to protest when she continued, “Don’t tell me you don’t think he’d like you in real life.”

“So you’re saying I should just buy a plane ticket and go to bloody Germany tomorrow?”

“Yes!”  

“Fine!” 

Both Raven and Ororo raised their eyebrows. “Really?” 

What did he have to lose? Erik didn’t seem like he’d change his mind, after all, they had been talking for a long time. “Why not?”

“So I guess we’re going to Germany tomorrow?” Raven spoke slowly, as though any word could make Charles change his mind. 

“Guess we are.”

***

Erik had spent a long time in his room. Well, not _his_ room but Emma’s guest room, where he’d spent more time than his own house. The fan spun lazily just below the ceiling and outside the window rain poured down in sheets. Charles hadn’t texted him in a few days. He wasn’t sure whether it was the weather or the fact that he hadn’t been home for slightly less than a month, but something had made his mood drop. 

Then there was the fact that he missed someone. The problem was that didn’t know who. It wasn’t his mom and it certainly wasn’t Shaw. But there was a gaping hole in his stomach. 

“Erik.” Emma appeared in the doorframe. “I’m not having you sit here and mope all day. I know I’ve suggested his before but—

“No, I’m not going to England.”

“One day I’m going to kill you,” She muttered under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear. “Listen up, Lehnsherr. You’ve been melodramatic for three days, and we both know why. It’s not Shaw and it’s not the weather and it definitely isn’t your mother.” She sat down on the bed. “So, since we both know it’s got nothing to do with any of that, what do you suggest it is?” 

He rolled over so that he faced the wall. “I don’t know. I know what you’re thinking, but it doesn’t have anything to do with him. I feel like I’m missing some—“ Erik paused. Emma shot him a what-did-I-just-say look as she stood up. 

“I refuse to let you remains like this,” she said, “We’re going to see him.”

“What? Are you insane? He’s in England. I can’t just go to England.”

“Why not?” 

“Because…” Huh. She had a point. “I don’t know, actually.”

Emma smiled victoriously, grabbing Erik’s hand and pulling him up from the bed. “We’re going tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow? Isn’t that a little soon? I have to tell Charles—“

“No you don’t! It’s a surprise.” She looked about as excited as Erik was nervous. What was he going to say? In real life there was no computer screen between them to mask his blushing and no messages to plan what he was going to say before he said it. 

“So we’re going to England tomorrow?” He breathed, the reality of the whole thing still distant. 

Emma nodded enthusiastically, already opening the plane ticket website. “We’re going to England tomorrow!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third to last chapter!! I hope you guys have enjoyed this story so far :) The 10th and 11th chapters will probably be a little long, but I'm very excited for you guys to read them (it might also be out a little later, as I haven't quite finished it yet). Anyhow, thanks for reading!!


	10. Chapter 10

_Holy shit. Wow. Alright._ Charles wasn’t sure what to pack or what to say or whether this was a good idea or not. Raven assured him it was a brilliant plan, and had already booked the tickets and packed her bags. She was ranting about how perfect it would all be, while copying down Emma’s address on a slip of paper from Charles’ phone.

“And then you have to tell him why we came and you can confess your love and it’ll be like that Shakespeare play we read in class last month, what was it again?“

Charles ran a hand through his hair. He couldn’t concentrate? Why couldn’t he concentrate? “Romeo and Juliet.” 

“Yeah, that!”

“You know they both die in the end, right?”

“Yeah okay… Much Ado About Nothing then. That one ends well.” She moved on to looking through Charles’ closet, selecting the most attractive of his many sweaters and cardigans.

“You’re saying I should fake my death? It’s tempting I have to admit.”

“You’re a smart-ass”

He smiled. “I know. I pride myself on it.”

***

“Emma, this was a bad idea.” Erik was looking around the busy airport, filled with fast-walking, angry-looking people, all of whom had somewhere important be. 

“Can you start doubting when we’re already on the plane?” She sighed. “As for now, if you feel like helping me check in your huge-ass luggage, that’d be appreciated.”

“Sorry.”

***

Raven had always prided herself on her legs, long and thin as they were. They proves especially useful when her and Charles needed to run halfway across the airport in five minutes, as they were late for their flight. With glistening foreheads and sore legs, they reached the terminal and boarded the plane.

“Charles, it’ll be fine. Erik’s gonna love you even more when he sees you in real life,” Raven repeated for the fifth time since they sat down.

“I have no doubt,” Her brother spoke sarcastically while the engine begun humming throughout the plane as it got ready to take off. 

“There’s no need to look like you’re going to die, it won’t be that bad.”

He held on tight to his armrests. “I’m not worried about that at the moment. I’m just not too fond of flying. Especially not—“ he bit his lip as the plane accelerated down the runway, before releasing it’s grip on the ground in a swift, smooth motion. 

Once they were in the air, he exhaled sharply. “I just hope Erik won’t find it… Weird. What if it’s too soon?” 

“Hey, you were one who said you had nothing to lose,” Raven reminded him. 

He looked out the window, though he saw nothing but heavy, grey clouds. “Nothing with the exception of my entire friendship with him.”

“Well, you won’t know if you don’t try.”

“Yeah…” Charles nodded, “You’re right.”

***

“You’re wrong.” Emma pushed her bag under the seat in front of her. “Of course it won’t be weird. For all you know, he waiting for you to come. Or maybe he’s already planned to visit you.”

Erik nodded at her, though he found himself debilitated by the distance he knew he was above the ground. He wasn’t afraid of heights, but he wasn’t exactly fond of them either. Plus, he didn’t like the fact that his life was in the hands of some pilot he’d never met.

“You scared of a little flying, Lehnsherr?” She smirked.

“I’m not scared, just… On edge.”

“Right. Huge difference.” Emma took a sip of her Cola. “And I’ll assume you’re just ‘on edge’ about meeting Charles as well?”

“No,” Erik inhaled slowly, “No, I’m terrified.”

***

Their hotel was gorgeous. Charles had never been to Germany, but this place gave him a fantastic first impression; the rooms were large and decorated with antique, wooden furniture, with detailed paintings on every wall; the building itself was hundreds of years old, and covered with vines. In fact, the entire town felt like something out of a fairy tale.

Erik hadn’t texted him all day, which was strange considering they usually spoke from they woke up and until they went to bed. He’d asked Raven if she thought something was wrong, but she’d been too busy checking in to the hotel to answer.

***

“Do I look alright?” Erik turned around to face Emma. “I mean, not that it matters.”

“You’re very handsome,” She replied, without even glancing. They’d gone to McDonald’s to get something to eat. Money was a little tight, so they hadn’t booked a hotel, as Erik knew Charles would let them sleep in his giant castle-like house. He’d only seen pictures, but he was certain the Xavier mansion was bigger than his entire school.

“What do you think he’ll say? I never thought about telling him how tall I am. What if he’s really short?”

Now Emma looked up from her phone. “What?”

“I don’t know what I’m saying. I’m nervous, okay?” 

She pushed a bag of fries towards him, nodding at them as if telling him to eat something. “Don’t be.”

***

“Don’t be? How can I not?” Charles was pacing back and forward outside the house he believed to be Emma’s. Raven had parked their rental car around the corner, giving her brother a few moments to collect his thoughts before marching up to the door and asking for Erik.

“Charles.” She places her hands on his shoulders. “Breathe.”

“Right, yes.” He inhaled slowly through his nose. “Breathe.”

She smiled. “Now, go knock on the door and ask if you can talk to Erik Lehnsherr. Someone’s home.” 

Charles nodded, taking another breath before walking through the small metal gate. The door had gorgeous patterns carved into it, and he tried to focus on them, not his thousands of thoughts, as he knocked. Silence. He knocked again. Nothing. Just as he was about to turn around, an older woman opened. “Guten Tag.” She smiled. 

“Eh, hello. I’m looking for Erik Lehnsherr, I’ve been lead to believe he lives here.” Charles stuttered, his anxiety getting the better of him. 

“Was?”

He cleared his throat. He’d only taken German for two years in middle school. “Uh, gibt es hier einen Erik Lehnsherr?”

“Niemand namens Erik Lehnsherr hat hier je gelebt.” She was starting to look irritated. _There’s no one named Erik Lehnsherr here_.

No one. Charles managed to smile at the lady. “Okay. danke für deine Zeit.”

In some ways, he was relived. In others, he was completely and utterly disappointed.

***

_[Charles Xavier]_

Erik, this is going to sound odd but are you home?

 

Shit. Erik thought it best to keep his presence in England a secret until they met in person, as he thought that was make the surprise more… Well, surprising.

 

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

Mhmm, I’m at Emma’s

_[Charles Xavier]_

OnKaiser-Sigmund-Straße?

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

Yeah, why do you ask?

_[Charles Xavier]_

No reason

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

Are you home?

_[Charles Xavier]_

I am :)

 

“Erik, we gotta go if we wanna get there before it starts raining. It’s only a two kilometer walking distance.” Emma’s voice interrupted his thoughts, and they both got up to leave.

It felt a lot shorter than two kilometers. They stopped walking once the mansion came into sight, both of them awestruck by the sheer size of it. “He must’ve had a hard childhood,” Emma scoffed, as she began walking towards the castle-looking house.

***

“Maybe there’s a different street called Kaiser-Sigmund-Straße.” Raven sat down next to Charles on the hotel-bed.

“Or maybe he doesn’t want to see me. I told you this was a terrible idea.”

She raised her eyebrows. “It was your terrible idea.”

“I know. I just thought…” 

“Then text him. Tell him you’re here and ask if he wants to meet up. Just lie and say it’s for a school trip or something.”

Charles shook his head, before letting himself fall back onto the bed. “Good idea. I’m not leaving until I see him.”

She smiled. “Hell no you aren’t.”

***

“I don’t understand. He said he was home.” Erik sat down on the steps, while Emma walked tried to look inside.

“It doesn’t look like he is.” She sat down next to him. “Try and text him.”

“Phone’s dead.”

“What then?” He ran a hand through his hair, feeling the chilly breeze on his face. It was getting colder and darker, and according to Emma’s phone, it was going to start raining at any moment.

“We should go.”

Erik shook his head. “Go where? No, we’re waiting.”

“It’s gonna start raining. It might be hours before they come home.”

“Then we wait for hours. You can go if you want.”

Emma smiled, pulling a giant blanket out from her suitcase and wrapping it around herself and Erik. “No way. We’re gonna get you your fairytale ending.”

***

_[Charles Xavier]_

Erik

_[Charles Xavier]_

I’m sort of in Germany at the moment

_[Charles Xavier]_

For a school trip. 

_[Charles Xavier]_

Are you busy?

_[Charles Xavier]_

I was thinking we could meet up

 

He wasn’t responding. Charles tried to fall asleep, in order to speed up the process of waiting, but he couldn’t stop his mind from spinning. It didn’t make any sense. Why would Erik talk so enthusiastically about meeting, and then reject the idea once it actually happened?

“Still nothing, huh?” Raven asked, after Charles checked his phone for the fifth time that minute.

“Nope.” He rolled over to face the wall. “Nothing at all.”

Raven begun hating Erik. For not responding, for not being there. She hadn’t seen Charles happier than he’d be when he came downstairs after a two-hour FaceTime call, or when they’d spent all day texting. All that happiness was in the hands of Erik. She pulled her phone from her pocket, pulling up Emma’s contact. 

 

_[Raven Xavier]_

Hey there, are you with Erik?

_[Emma Frost]_

Yup

_[Raven Darkholme]_

Are you home?

_[Emma Frost]_

Not exactly. Why do u ask

_[Raven Darkholme]_

We’re in Germany. We tried to visit you and Erik but the address Charles had just lead us to some woman we didn’t know. She said there was no Erik Lehnsherr there. 

_[Emma Frost]_

Oh

_[Emma Frost]_

My

_[Emma Frost]_

God

_[Emma Frost]_

So. 

_[Emma Frost]_

That woman u met was my mom. Erik and I are sort of in England

_[Emma Frost]_

We’re actually siting in front of ur castle

 

Raven read over the conversation a few times. What were the fucking chances?

 

_[Raven Darkholme]_

Holy shit

_[Emma Frost]_

Yeah

_[Raven Darkholme]_

Alright here’s what’s going to happen: you’re going to stay right there, or find a hotel nearby. We’ll take the next flight back home.

_[Emma Frost]_

Perfect. Don’t tell Charles. I won’t tell Erik

_[Emma Frost]_

We can still make this a surprise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So turns out there's going to be one more chapter! I tried to condense the rest of the story into just chapter 10, but it seemed too rushed so I decided to split it into two. Hope you enjoy, thanks for reading!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, we've already reached the final chapter! Thank you so much for the sweet comments, they never fail to make my day :) and thank you to everyone who gave this story kudos!
> 
> Remember you can always reach me on tumblr @comicc-relief

“Who are you texting?” Erik looked up at the threatening clouds, pulling the blanket tighter around his body.

“My mom.” Emma was quick to answer, though he was well aware her mother couldn’t make her smile at her phone like that. He thought it better not to question her, though.

***

The flight was mostly quiet and smooth, with the exception of the last ten minutes. Charles was glaring out the window, desperate to fall asleep or at the very least force his mind to shut down for a few moments. Raven had suggested that they just go home, and, after a little resistance, he’d agreed. There was no point in waiting around for someone who didn’t want to see him. No matter how much he wanted to see them.

Once they landed, Raven called an Uber. The roads were almost empty, as the forecast had promised 'precipitation and severe thunderstorms.' Right as they stopped in front of the long driveway to the mansion, and got out their suitcases, the rain started pouring down in sheets. _Great._

Charles paid the driver and grabbed his bag, before running behind Raven towards the house.

The driveway seemed longer than usual, and by the time the house came into view through the rain, both of them were soaking wet. As they neared the front door, two silhouettes came into view. Charles stopped, but Raven kept walking, as if oblivious to the figures. He walked after her, thinking that perhaps it was just the rain or his exhaustion playing tricks on his mind.

However, the closer they got, the clearer the figures became.

Charles dropped his bag. “Erik?” He breathed. 

***

“Charles!” He stood up, but found himself unsure of what to do next. After a few breathless moments impulse took over and he ran, stopping abruptly in front of him.

They stood face to face. The first think Erik could think of was how short Charles was. Then how much more blue his eyes looked in real life. Then how badly he wanted to kiss him. “Hi,” he breathed.

He smiled, then laughed. Erik’d always thought laughter came from the mouth, but with Charles it wasn’t like that. No, he laughed with his eyes. Even through the rain, they lit up as they met Erik’s.

The laughter devolved back into a smile, and they were left silently looking at each other again.

“I, uh,” Charles started, but his words disappeared in the rain. _God,_ he was adorable. And he was right there, in full, in front of Erik. The temptation to just lean in a little closer was almost overwhelming.

***

 _Holy shit you’re beautiful,_ Charles thought. Erik must’ve been telepathic, because the corners of his mouth curled into a smile as he leant closer. He was  _right there._ It seemed surreal or like something out of a daydream, and yet he knew it wasn't. No, this was the realest anything had ever been.

Someone had to close the gap between them. Both were overcome with tiredness and surprise and some sort of indescribable excitement. All Charles could think of was how badly he wanted to just lean in...

However, he didn’t have time to think anything else before Erik pressed his lips against Charles’. The rain soaked through their clothing and chilled their skin, and yet neither had ever experienced a warmth of the same intensity. Neither wanted to pull away, despite the freezing wind and puddles forming at their feet.

Somewhere in the rain, Emma and Raven cheered.

Both Erik and Charles started laughing, from an intoxicating mixture of relief and something neither could quite describe. “We should, uh, probably go inside,” Charles smiled. 

Erik nodded and both of them retreated to the front door where Raven and Emma stood ready to high five them. Raven had her signature smug smile painted across her face. “So, how long are you staying?”

“Probably just a week or so. But summer starts in a month…” Emma cocked her eyebrows.

“You know we’ll be expecting you then.”

Emma smiled. “I’m counting on it.”

***

“Your room’s huge,” Erik looked around in wonder, from the old wooden desk to the king-sized bed. It felt strange to stand in the very room that he’d seen in the background of their FaceTime calls.

Charles smiled and sat down. “I suppose it is.”

Erik picked up a stack of papers from the desk, entitled _International Pen Pal Programme: Erik Lehnsherr, by Charles Xavier._ “What’s this?” 

“Oh that’s, uh, that’s my… essay.” His cheeks flushed with colour as his eyes focused intensely on the floor.

“Mind if I…?” Erik asked, though he didn’t wait for a response before he begun reading. The first four paragraphs were simple and explanatory, diving into his personality and past, as well as obvious things such as age and favourite colour. It was the last one that caught his attention: 

_It’s seldom you meet someone with characteristics as intensely profound as Erik’s. I doubt I will ever encounter a persona such as his again, and I am beyond grateful for whichever force, be it mythical or arbitrary, that lead to our meeting. Not once have I regretted maintaining contact beyond that which we’re expected, or required, to preserve, because Erik Lehnsherr has enriched my life in ways I did not think likely — or even possible — prior to our encounter._

“This is…” Erik looked at Charles, who was still staring at his feet. “Charles…”

He looked up. “It’s a little cheesy, I know. In fact, it’s in need of some serious editing and—”

“Thank you, Charles,” Erik whispered, as if afraid to say the words any louder. He reached into his own backpack and pulled out a couple of crumpled papers, before handing them to Charles. “This is mine.”

Charles ran his eyes over the last page. “I’m not as eloquent as you are,” Erik reminded him. 

_In my personal life there have been obstacles and challenges, especially in the last year. Many times I’ve considered running away, or letting myself turn into my problems and indulge in them. However, meeting someone like Charles — a person with incomparable kindness and some sort of inexplainable ability to calm me down, — has made me aware that there’s much more to people than they know._

_I highly doubt Charles will read this, but should he somehow get ahold of it I’d want him to know that I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have ever had him in my life. Anyhow I’ve never been too good at expressing myself, so I’ll stick with two simple words: thank you._

“It’s not really done yet, uh…” Now it was Erik’s turn to look at his feet. “It’s…”

Charles couldn’t seem to find the words he needed, so he pulled Erik into a hug, nervous he’d never be able to let go. “I want to kiss you again,” He admitted.

“Go for it,” Erik smiled.

 

***

***

***

 

It’d been a month since he’d last seen Charles, but that hadn’t stopped them from texting every day.

It was summer. The sound of lockers closing and excited voices filled every school hallway across Germany, as the bell ran in the students' ears. Erik, perhaps, felt the most anticipation of them all. Raven had arranged for Emma and him to stay at the mansion until school begun again, as her and Charles’ parents had both gone on a six-week cruise around the world.

As for Erik’s parents, his mother had finally stood up to Shaw, throwing him out of the house and consequently allowing her son to sleep in his own bed again.

Everything was essentially perfect. Sure, he still had things to discuss with his mother, and Shaw could always come back (despite the restraining order Erik had put on him), so perhaps perfect wasn't the most accurate way to describe his life, but it was pretty damn close.

Emma was waiting for him outside, flashing a huge smile as he walked out the door. “Your suitcase is in the trunk, we’re already late so get in,” She commanded, gesturing towards the taxi parked in front of the school.

He got in, feeling the number of butterflies in his stomach increase as the car took off. 

 

***

 

_[Charles Xavier]_

When’s your flight?

 

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

5:30

 

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

So 4:30 in Oxford time :)

 

_[Charles Xavier]_

Splendid. Hurry up.

 

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

I am. Gotta go, we have to get through security

 

_[Charles Xavier]_

See you soon then ;)

 

_[Erik Lehnsherr]_

Certainly, Charles :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who clicked on this story, not to talk about those who read it through to the end. I'm sorry it all felt kind of rushed, but I've been busy with school and exams. Still, I hope you enjoyed!!
> 
> UPDATE: Your comments are making me smile like an idiot, thank you so much :)


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